As I stepped down from the house into the dark garage, I narrowly missed face-planting due to a pair of shoes in my way. I wasn’t hurt. But I was annoyed. Hadn’t I asked my husband to quit putting his shoes there? Wasn’t there a bin nearby and safely out of the pathway, specifically for shoes? I had even warned him—only partially in jest—that if I ever broke a bone tripping over his shoes, he’d have to wait on me hand and foot while I recovered. Yet there were the shoes. Again.
I knew he wasn’t trying to trip me. He had just forgotten. Heaven knows, I’m more forgetful than he is. I didn’t want to nag, but I also didn’t want to break my neck.
Fortunately, I was feeling creative that day. First I got out some painter’s tape and marked the pathway across the floor as a no-shoe-parking zone. Then I set to work making a sign (see photo). By this time I was no longer angry. I was actually having fun and anticipating my husband’s grin when he saw it. And you know what? Since that day, there have been no shoes to trip over. Not one. And… he even sorted through the shoes piled in the bin and sent some to recycling! This approach worked.
I can’t claim I always face conflicts with affability and humor. I’ve been known to vent in ways I’m not proud of. But by God’s grace I’m learning to make better choices. We all forget things. At times our minds are so wrapped up in our own lives that we miss seeing the toll our actions are taking on others. So, when it is necessary to draw the line, let’s see if we can get our point across gently and with humor before we start barking like a drill sergeant.
Can you think of a time you made a point, or someone got a message across to you, in a clear but light-hearted way? If so, please share!
Editor’s note: Said shoe-strewing husband has approved this message.
Elaine Hirschberg
21 Aug 2018Very funny story, great sign!
It’s always the little things in life that make us take notice of our day-to-day lives.
admin
24 Aug 2018Thanks, Elaine. Yes, sometimes the little things aren’t so little.
Mike Witiw
24 Aug 2018Very good advice on how to handle an annoyance.
admin
24 Aug 2018Thanks, Mike. Now if I can just remember to follow my own advice…